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What results from atmospheric interactions of nitrogen dioxide and sunlight?
Ozone and other photochemical oxidants.
What is the most common photochemical oxidant?
Ozone (O3), a colorless gas with a slightly sweet odor.
How is ozone sometimes used to sterilize water?
By bubbling the gas through water, as it is toxic to bacteria and other organisms.
Where does ozone form a natural layer and what is its benefit?
In the stratosphere, protecting us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
What are the major sources of chemicals that produce ozone?
Vehicles, burning fossil fuels, and industrial processes that produce nitrogen dioxide.
What are some health effects of ground-level ozone exposure?
Respiratory problems, including asthma, shortness of breath, and coughing.
What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and where are they commonly used?
VOCs are chemicals used as solvents in processes like dry cleaning, degreasing, and in paints.
What are some examples of hydrocarbons that are VOCs?
Methane (CH4), butane (C4H10), and propane (C3H8).
What percentage of global hydrocarbon emissions is anthropogenic (man-made)?
About 15%.
What is the main human source of hydrocarbons in the Caribbean?
Vehicles.
What are the two categories of particulate matter (PM)?
PM10 and PM2.5, representing particles smaller than 10 μm and 2.5 μm in diameter, respectively.
What health risks are associated with PM2.5?
Premature death, breathing difficulties, asthma, and respiratory illness, especially in children and the elderly.
What are the effects of ozone (O3) on plants?
Flecking, stippling, and bleaching of plant tissue, and reduced yields for crops like lettuce, grapes, and corn.
How does ozone affect materials?
It cracks rubber, reduces paint durability, and causes fabric dyes to fade.
What are the effects of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on people?
It increases chronic respiratory diseases and causes shortness of breath.
What are the effects of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on plants?
Bleaching of leaves and tissue decay, especially in sensitive crops like alfalfa, barley, and cotton.
How does sulfur dioxide affect materials when oxidized to sulfuric acid?
It damages buildings, corrodes metals, and turns leather to red-brown dust.
What are the effects of nitrogen oxides (NO) on people?
Aggravates respiratory infections, and increases the risk of chest colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia in children.
What is the effect of nitrogen oxides (NO) when oxidized to nitric acid?
It causes damage associated with acid rain.
What are the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) on people?
It reduces the ability to transport oxygen, causes headaches, nausea, and may lead to asphyxiation.
What are the effects of particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) on people?
Increased respiratory diseases and irritation of throat, nose, lungs, and eyes.
What are the effects of particulate matter on materials?
It accelerates corrosion of metals and damages paint and textile dyes.
How does lead poisoning affect humans, especially children?
It causes behavioral problems, lower IQ, paralysis, and can be fatal.
What is hydrogen fluoride (HF) and where is it produced?
HF is a toxic gas released during industrial processes like aluminum production and coal gasification.
What is the main source of photochemical smog?
The reaction of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and sunlight in urban areas.
What are the two types of smog?
Photochemical smog (LA-type or brown air) and sulfurous smog (London-type or grey air).
What gases are considered greenhouse gases?
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs.
What human activities increase carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere?
Burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.
Why is methane considered a potent greenhouse gas?
It is 20 times more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.
How do aerosols affect the greenhouse effect?
Light-colored aerosols cool the Earth's surface, while dark aerosols like soot warm the atmosphere.
Who was the first to compare the atmosphere to a glass vessel in studying the greenhouse effect?
Jean Fourier.
What did John Tyndall discover about nitrogen and oxygen?
He discovered that nitrogen and oxygen had no heat-absorbing properties.
What gases did John Tyndall measure for heat radiation absorption?
Carbon dioxide and water vapour.
What did Svante Arrhenius predict about doubling carbon dioxide concentrations?
It would increase global temperatures by 4 to 6 Celsius degrees
What was the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when monitoring began in 1957?
315 parts per million (ppm).
What significant international organization was established in 1988 to assess climate change?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
What agreement in 1997 required industrialized countries to reduce emissions by 2012?
The Kyôto Protocol.
What happens to polar ice-caps as a consequence of global warming?
They melt, releasing large quantities of water and raising sea levels.
What phenomenon causes coral reefs to expel their symbiotic algae, revealing their white skeleton?
Coral bleaching.
What is one suspected cause of coral bleaching?
Unusually high water temperatures.
What does the ozone layer block from the Sun?
Ultraviolet (UV) light.
What is the main group of ozone-destroying gases called?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
What international agreement aims to phase out CFCs?
The Montreal Protocol.
What is one technological solution for reducing ozone depletion?
Collection and reuse of CFCs.
What is a substitute for CFCs that is less ozone-depleting?
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
What are two health effects of increased ultraviolet radiation?
Increased risk of skin cancer and cataracts.
What are automatic monitors used for in air quality monitoring?
To take readings without regular human intervention and transmit data to a central location.
What device reduces nitrogen oxides emissions in vehicles?
Catalytic converters.
What is one alternative fuel to gasoline used in cars?
Ethanol.
What technology is used to remove sulphur dioxide from smoke-stack emissions?
Flue-gas desulphurisation.
What device removes particulates from smoke-stack emissions?
Electrostatic precipitators.
What is acid rain caused by?
A chemical reaction when oxides of non-metals (such as sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides) dissolve in precipitation.
What are two effects of acid rain?
Soil acidification and damage to buildings.
What is a solution to acidified soil caused by acid rain?
Adding lime (calcium carbonate) to the soil.
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